Down a dark road

Bucolic Evil: "Word has gotten out that if you write about the Amish, you can sell books." So says a young Amish woman quoted in Valerie WeaverZercher's 2013 study, "Thrill of the Chaste," about the popularity of Amishthemed romance novels - and, to judge from the success of the crime writer Linda Castillo, what's true of romance is also true of murder. Castillo's bestselling Kate Burkholder mysteries feature the police chief of a fictional Amish town, Painters Mill, Ohio; the ninth entry in the series, "Down a Dark Road," enters the hardcover fiction list at No. 14. How did Castillo, who is not Amish herself, come to write about the community? "I'm originally from Ohio and so I was aware of the Amish growing up," she told me by email. The idea for the first Burkholder book struck during a "happenstance trip" to Amish country. "As a writer I love the juxtaposition of such a bucolic setting and the introduction of evil into it," she said. "I knew I'd found the perfect setting. The Amish culture is a bit of a closed society, and I was fascinated by the mystery of that, too." I wondered how Castillo's Amish audience feels about her outsider's portrayal. "The Amish are readers and encourage their kids to read," she said. "One gentleman attended one of my book events and told me he loved the book. Most responses are positive, but I did receive a letter from another Amish man who said he was offended. I do my best to depict the Amish culture in an honest and realistic way, but he took issue with the level of violence." This deep into the series, Castillo said, she has become "obsessed with learning everything I could about the culture. I travel to Amish country every year.... They've invited me into their homes and farms and I've learned much from that one-on-one interaction. One of the Amish men even let me drive his buggy, which was a fascinating and fun experience. The more I learn ... the more my respect for them and their way of life grows."